Clinical Trials in Florida

The main purpose of a clinical trial is to test how effective and safe a new experimental treatment or intervention is in humans before it is released to the public. A clinical trial usually tests treatments such as medications, screening tests, alternative medicines such as herbs, and medical devices like prosthesis, pacemakers, etc.

Clinical trials have several phases, and each phase has a different goal. The first phases aim to measure the toxicity of a drug to learn what would be the correct dosage for a patient. During the first phases investigators also pay close attention to any side effects or potential dangers to consider before releasing the drug.

During the last few phases, investigators test the intervention on larger and more inclusive groups of individuals to continue examining the effectiveness and side effects of the medication. If individual decides to enroll in a clinical trial the research team usually discloses what phase he/she is joining beforehand, however all phases usually have the same potential benefits and/or side effects.

In Florida, there are some large universities that conduct clinical trials and other types of research studies about different categories both for healthy and non-healthy volunteers. Universities often partner with local hospitals and doctors to conduct research studies. The University of Miami research division in Miami, Florida often partners with Jackson Health Systems. Together, they conduct the largest amount of clinical trials in South Florida with over 700 ongoing trials as of this month.

The University of Florida, located in Gainesville, Florida has conducted more than 4,000 research studies over the past four years and actively searches for volunteers to participate in clinical trials. You can also find clinical trials in local hospitals such as the Baptist Hospital, the Cleveland Clinic, and the Mayo Clinic.